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Boni or Somali headrest (barkin), Somaliawood, pigment7.5" tall

Exhibited in: "Native Arts of the World...At Home in Colorado - The Douglas Society Collects" 2006Acquired from Bryan Reeves with Tribal Gathering London at the San Francisco Tribal and Textile Arts Show 2006

Somali and Boni nomads make use of two types of headrests; one with a single cylindrical supporting column and one with a double column. It appears that the different styles are for men of different status, with the single-columned variety for young men and the double-columned variety reserved for elders. The more elaborate the headrest is, the higher the status is of its owner.

This finely carved example is of a style that is very rare among these types of headrests. Bryan told me that in his many years of collecting he had only seen a few examples of this style and quality.

SOLD

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